Patience & Fortitude

Further along in my Grieving Futures

Further along in my Grieving Futures

Why I’m going to be sharing my old grief memoir here, after all these years… Wayyyy back in 1998 or so, within a couple of years of my father’s death, I came up with the book title Grieving Futures. That was it. That was all I had, the title. To be fair,...
A Day of Multiple Infamies!

A Day of Multiple Infamies!

Welcome to August 15th. The vibe is a downer and will stay that way. August 15th, 1943, was the day my mother was born. Had she lived, today would be her 80th birthday. By devious and unplanned irony, August 15th is also my birthday (1969, to be exact). It feels...
The Interlocking of Secrecy and Grief

The Interlocking of Secrecy and Grief

I have been listening to the excellent podcast Family Secrets, hosted by Dani Schapiro, and so many of the episodes surprisingly kick up memories for me. I say “surprisingly” because despite the fact that I admit freely that I was the secret keeper in my...
Homeless (where the heart is)

Homeless (where the heart is)

I had to call the landlord today about a possible water leak at the apartment. This simple act threw me into a long, dreary and painful panic attack. It is the absolute worst to be sitting on the bus, going to work, trying to count your breaths and not keel over like...
On Helplessness

On Helplessness

There is a lot to unpack in philosopher André Comte-Sponville’s long essay, “The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality.” I have not, in fact, even finished reading it, but I’ll post a review of it when I do. (Spoiler: it’s going to be gushingly positive, highly...

Death Café, Tallahassee

I went to my first Death Café on Tuesday night. It was held at the Tallahassee Senior Center, which is busy place in the heart of “Mid-Town” Tallahassee, and just a block from where I live. One aspect that attracted me to the whole concept of a Death Café is that it...